The vision of Charge of the Light Brigade is truly a focused one. Even the most reluctant of listeners will agree; with The Defiant Ones, this is a band that certainly cannot be stopped.

The debut LP from Charge of the Light Brigade combines intense, punk-influenced melodies with an irresistible pop sensibility yet there are no tracks that pander; instead, this collection of thirteen tracks has a vision that will leave listeners helpless.

Guitarist/songwriter Luke Sneyd has long been a fixture on the Toronto scene, originally as the guitarist for electro-rock act Mountain Mama. Two solo releases included an early demo of his track ‘The Prisoner’ that was a finalist in the Unisong International Songwriting Contest, and the video won him a Top 5 spot in the Great Canadian Band Challenge, competing for a deal with Universal Canada. And now, with new songs and new collaborators, The Defiant Ones is an honest and earnest culmination of five years of work.

Strong themes of doomed heroism and the terminal tick of relationships gone awry abound here. They’re heard in the resilient sprawl of ‘Fastest of The Losers’, the furious early 90’s punk stomp of ‘Charge!!’ and finally, a moody but ultimately fulfilling cover of ‘Atlantic City,’ which serves as the album’s closer. Each track drives its way into your subconscious with alarming and altogether defiant grace. It’s an honest approach that fuels the entire record. Candid emotions are abundant in every song.

That’s a big frustration for me recently, a lot of people call themselves writers but you’re not a writer unless you’re actually writing. Stephen King says he writes ten pages every day. It’s a piece of advice in every how-to guide to writing, if you want to be a writer, you need to write.

I take it more literally as well. If you’re not writing, how can you be a writer. A lawyer that doesn’t practice isn’t a lawyer. A plumber that doesn’t plumb isn’t a plumber. If you want to be a writer, you need to write.

I’m not trying to preach about it, but you should do what you want to do. If you’re compelled to write or do art, write and do art.

I have this fear of becoming a nine-to-fiver in some office. It baffles me that no one aspires to work in an office yet millions of people do. No kid dreams of running the rat race, and commuting, and pushing papers all day in their cubicle. But people get lazy and uninspired and the next thing you know, bam, you’re forty-five in a cubicle and you’ve never crossed the ocean or written your magnum opus or painted it or performed it.

It took me a long time to realize it. After I finished my English degree I didn’t really know what I was going to do. I got my heating and air-conditioning license but returned to school when I realized that working the typical job was not what I’d always wanted to do.

There’s a picture of me, three years old, playing on my grandma’s typewriter at her desk. I’ve always loved that desk, and at some point the vintage teak desk made it’s way into my bedroom. I still love sitting at it. And I’ve never not wanted to write. There’s been times when I didn’t write, and times where I didn’t read (maybe more than a year, but who’s counting).

I’m at my internship. It’s unpaid, and there’s lots of writing, and sometimes it’s dry, but I do it happily, it’s good practice. I don’t have to be here, it doesn’t even affect my education at this point. I’m here because I want to do my craft.

I realized that writing is something I’ve always wanted to do, and so damn it, I’m going to do it. People should do what they truly want. There’s that one thing that made you happiest as a child, figure out how to make a career out of it and then do it.

But if you want to write, then write. If you call yourself an artist, do art. If you say you’re a musician, play music. And take it in. Always read, always observe art, always listen to music. Immerse yourself in the craft, but don’t say you’re a writer/artist/musician if you’re only doing it for the paycheque or the recognition. No one has ever made a living in an art that wasn’t their passion. I know it’s a risk, but it’s well worth it.

Now think about how many times I wrote “write,” if that’s not passionate, I don’t know what is.

I’m a people watcher. I can’t help it. I think it’s genetic, but all of this is irrelevant. I went to lunch today at Subway and I did what I normally do, I picked out a little corner and camped out with my book, but today there was a guy and a girl sitting near the table I normally sit at. I didn’t really think anything of it, as much as I love watching people, I’m not that devoted, I would much rather continue reading Stephen King’s On Writing.

The pair was talking about infidelity. The girl was telling a story about how her sister’s boyfriend cheated on her and how her sister found out when she went through his e-mail. The justification for going in his e-mail was at best sketchy and riddle with plot-holes that suggested she was snooping around.

But she snooped his e-mail and found out that, BAM, he was cheating on her.

That’s shitty I guess, but as much fun as it is to know absolutely everything about one another, there needs to be some mystery. Romance isn’t about e-mails, cell-phones, and searching through their stuff when your lover isn’t looking.

Rule number one in relationships is to remain your own person. Do your own thing and keep your passwords your own. Pessimistically, you never know what’s going to happen. And wouldn’t it suck to have a stalker ex-lover hack into your e-mail and play around with your e-life? It would. I’ve been around the block enough times to know it’s just easier to not have the temptation on either side. My friend Logan offered me some good advice about that Firesheep thing that collected passwords. He said that sooner or later the temptation would get too strong. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. I promptly uninstalled it, and never looked back. As tempting as it is to be able to sift through people’s accounts, it’s just too much. Passwords are there for a reason and as a humanitarian, I respect the property and privacy of others, especially my romantic partner’s.

Optimistically, it’s just nice to have a little mystery. All the time you’d spend snooping your partners inbox, and sifting through their laundry, couldn’t you be doing stuff to show them how much they mean to you? Paint them a picture, write them a letter, go to the gym, do something. And turn off your damn TV, all that imagination of yours is going to waste on paranoia and slutty The Bachelor contestants.

If you’re the jealous type, you’ll only find closure when you can really incriminate, and is that really love? Love is about trust, and you have to give your partner some space to let them trust you back. Sooner or later every card makes it’s way to the table, bad news, like good news, is inevitable. Have a little confidence in y’self son, would you pick a partner that would cheat on you? Or maybe the question isn’t about cheating but about what you’re doing to prevent it. Prove to yourself why you deserve love, it’s better than proving to your lover why you don’t.

Plus if the suspicion was really that strong, wouldn’t it seem like the sane, well-adjusted thing to do to break it off? Of course, but no one’s perfect and what we know is right can be hard to do. Personally, infidelity is too much effort for me. Pimpin’ really AIN’T easy. One girl at a time, and sometimes none. No one will love you if you’re keeping a backup around.

Anyway, then the girl said, “If my boyfriend knew we were having lunch together, he’d be so angry.” As in, she’s not going to tell her “jealous” boyfriend that she’s having lunch with another man.

I don’t think there’s a problem with people having lunch with people of the opposite sex when they’re in a relationship. I don’t remember where I heard it but keeping secrets is the work of a guilty conscience.

Perhaps her boyfriend is the jealous type (many guys are, we’re a generation of insecure men, that’s why Ed Hardy and MMA exists), but then maybe she should reconsider her connection to him. If he’s jealous of her having friends to the point that she has to hide it, maybe there’s a more understanding guy around. Not a swinger, but just someone who has a little self-respect to not worry.

People are pretty resilient. If something is meant to be, you can put it under a little duress. Blinding jealousy is a scary thing, but distance makes the heart grow fonder.

It kills me when people are this dumb. I would feel weird if I felt I couldn’t tell my partner about my day. If she was going to rage out on me for having lunch with a friend, I’d reconsider the relationship.

Just take it easy, love one person at a time and trust them, and have the self-confidence to tell the truth, even when it’s not shiny. That’s what I’d say is the key to a healthy relationship. I guess it’s the golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.